Sharper Image has instigated plenty of price cuts that has brought its Literati e-Reader from $139 to now $39 at most Bed, Bath and Beyond locations. Many other companies that stock the e-reader are also selling them at fire-sale prices. Although the Literati e-Reader has not been tremendously well received by tech savvy people in the know, it is selling well to the general public and is warranting a sequel.
Sharper Image has confirmed with us today that they are developing a Literati 2 Electronic Reader! Although not many details are confirmed other then it should be out in 3 to 4 months we have heard some juicy rumors.
Gone is the Linux driven operating system that Kobo helped engineer in the previous iteration of the Literati e-reader and now Google Android has its turn as the OS of choice. Sharper Image is banking on a full touch screen interface, while preserving its Kobo eBook store integration.
The current version of the Literati has a full keyboard on it and has the drawback of having a smaller screen in which to view ebooks. The Literati 2 will be around 7 inches or so, and will have more screen real estate in order to read books. This will also be a benefit to take advantage of the Kobo Android application that will provide better quality magazines, newspapers and ebooks. Some other positives include a better dictionary, and access to other applications.
Although we do not have official confirmation on Google Android, we have heard that is an avenue the company is seriously looking at. We do know that Literati 2 is in the works and that official supply chains have been notified. This would make sense that many companies are severely marking down the e-reader to deplete the stock to make way for a better quality offering. The decision to go with Android would also put it in a more competitive arena and would allow for a better Kobo experience to buy books.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
